


Flight Risk

by Magicalmaladies



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: M/M, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-11
Updated: 2016-12-11
Packaged: 2018-09-07 22:56:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8819392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magicalmaladies/pseuds/Magicalmaladies
Summary: A Stormtrooper. A traitor. The love story that could have been.





	

      Nines looked at the carnage around him, taking in the demolished stone and twisted metal that were the remains of Takodana. He would have been sorry for the city and its patrons, if only it hadn’t been for the fact that they had housed Resistance scum. That made the First Order entirely justified in their actions, in this battle. A male Resistance fighter was bold enough to dart out from behind the protruding remains of a building, clearly thinking he hadn’t been seen. Nines took aim with his blaster and fired, eliminating his target with the first shot. Sometimes it was too easy.

     He continued making his way towards the thick of the battle, taking out Resistance members along the way. The thing that no one can prepare you for about combat is how truly overwhelming it can be. The sheer volume of the explosions and screams, the scent of smoke and death heavy in the air, the bitter tang of adrenaline; it was sensory overload. It was logical that a less experienced Stormtrooper might not be able to make out the strange sounds coming from behind a ruined archway, but FN-2199 was a seasoned fighter. He knew the sounds of blasters as well as he knew the sound of his own voice, and the low hum that met his ears was like no weapon he had heard before. He stopped to return the fire of a Resistance member hiding behind a ruined column and made his way to the source.

     He arrived just in time to see a Resistance fighter fatally stab one of his squadrons in the chest with a glowing blue saber, evidently the weapon that was emanating the humming noise. The fighter pushed Nines’ dead comrade off his blade and turned around. _It was FN-2187._ For just a fraction of a second Nines stood paralyzed, unable to believe what he was seeing. _So it was all true. Eight-Seven had indeed defected._ He stared incredulously at the profile of his once comrade and closest friend, before a blaster shot brought him back to reality.

     “Traitor!” he shouted, surprising himself with the amount of anger pitched into the single word.

******

      The first time Nines met FN-2187 had been on the first day of the first combat class of the FN Corps. Captain Phasma had stood at the front of the room, lecturing on the importance of hand to hand combat. She had introduced the course with the expectation that all members of her class know how to fight with no weapons, succeeding in simultaneously disappointing the hopes every young upstart seated before her had of getting to hold their very first blaster. When she ended her informational lecture, she grouped them into pairs to practice some of the basic techniques she had demonstrated.

     “Take turns on the offensive and defensive,” she said, pacing the length of the room, her cape swinging with each step. “You never know how strong an adversary is and you will need to know how to defend yourself in the event that our superior First Order technology does not provide you with the upper hand.”

     Nines turned to his opponent, running a hand across his already sweating upper-lip. “You want to be defense first?”

     The boy raised his clenched fists and nodded, indicating that he was ready to begin. Nines made fists of his own, making sure his thumb was on the outside before striking out. He was surprised when the boy was easily able to block his swing, and all of the ones he continued to throw after that. He didn’t manage to get even one hit in before Captain Phasma signaled that they were to switch positions. They did so, and Nines wasn’t surprised to find that his opponent was just as good at offense as he was at defensive. The boy landed many of his punches but Nines knew he wasn’t even putting his full strength into them. The kid was really good.

     One moment Nines was looking into the dark eyes of his opponent, and the next he was staring up at the bright lights of the ceiling, wincing at the pain blossoming in his left cheek. The boy knelt down and FN-2199 felt strong arms helping him up.

     “Are you okay? I am so sorry; I didn’t mean to hit you so hard.”

     Nines rubbed a hand through his red hair. “I’m fine. I just wasn’t expecting you to be so good. Who are you?”

     A hint of a blush showed through the boy’s dark skin. “I’m FN-2187.”

     “Well FN-2187, you’re going to have to show me how to fight like you.” Nines said, grinning despite the pain.

\-------

     Nines didn’t even remember when it happened. There hadn’t been a specific moment as far as he could recall. He and FN-2187, or as he liked to call him ‘Eight-Seven’, had already been good friends for a few years when Nines realized that he had a crush on him. Ever since that day in combat class, the two had been inseparable. They ate meals together, shared barracks, struggled through combat training together, and spent leave together. Nines knew everything about Eight-Seven; what his favorite food was, that his favorite subject was aviation, how he was starting to get nervous for his first deployment, how when he couldn’t sleep at night he would stay up trying to guess which planet his birth parents might be from until he fell asleep. Nines had seen him at his worst and at his best; he had seen him elated at their graduation and depressed at not getting a piloting position. Except for bringing honor to the First Order, there was nothing Nines wanted more than to be with Eight-Seven. In a perfect world, the two of them would both be captains of the FN Corps.

     But the only problem was that FN-2187 didn’t feel the same way. Or at least Nines didn’t think so. Sometimes he thought he caught Eight-Seven looking at him with a certain soft look in his eyes but that could have just been in Nines’ imagination. After all, he would do almost anything to see Eight-Seven smile, almost anything to cause that trademark whooping joy to light up his face. He couldn’t kept pretending anymore; he had to give it a chance or he would regret it for the rest of his life. Nines decided that as soon as they returned from their first deployment to Jakku in a week, he would tell Eight-Seven about his feelings for him. It would be scary to put their whole friendship on the line and just thinking about it made Nines feel like he was trying to swallow his own stomach, but he had to take this risk. He just hoped it would be worth it.

\-------

     Nines sat on the edge of his bed, and tried to calm down. He hadn’t been so nervous in his whole life, not even when he was in battle back on Jakku earlier. Blasters, combat, the First Order, those were all things that Nines knew how to handle. But confessing his love to his best friend? That was something entirely different. He took a few more minutes to breathe deeply before heading out to find FN-2187. The last time he had seen him he was in the air docks unloading his equipment.

     But when Nines had made his way there, Eight-Seven was nowhere to be found. He asked some of the rest of their squadron, but even their buddy FN-2000 didn’t know where he was. Assuming that he had missed Eight-Seven on the way back to their room, Nines decided to check back there, keeping an eye out for him along the way. _If there was any good way to settle nerves, it was definitely a long walk._ Nines got back to the barracks, fully expecting to see FN-2187 on his bed fast asleep but the room was still empty. This was very odd. It wasn’t like Stormtroopers to have their whereabouts unknown and it wasn’t like Eight-Seven to have not joined Nines by now. He hoped that Eight-Seven wasn’t in any kind of trouble. He had lost track of him on Jakku during the fight and had no idea how he had handled his first battle.

     After Eight-Seven didn’t show up to dinner was when Nines started to really worry. There was a rumor swirling around that he had defected but Nines knew that couldn’t possibly be true. No one defected from the First Order, and if so it would certainly not be Eight-Seven. He cared too much about his position. Right? Just then Captain Phasma entered the Mess Hall with an announcement: the Resistance prisoner had escaped in a TIE fighter, accompanied by a Stormtrooper from her class. A rustle of whispers went up through the hall; everyone was accounted for except for FN-2187. Nines felt his stomach rise to his throat again, but for far less pleasant reasons this time around. Still, there was just no way Eight-Seven had defected. The Resistance prisoner must have overpowered him and taken him captive, probably to bring him to their base for interrogation. That had to be it. He knew Eight-Seven better than anyone, and surely his friend would have mentioned any sympathies for the Resistance during the years he had known him.

     As Captain Phasma finished delivering her message and headed for the exit, she cast a lingering glance at Nines, as if he might somehow be responsible for what had happened. He made sure to nod respectfully at her, and she finally looked away before leaving entirely. Nines tried to eat the rest of his meal but found that he had lost his appetite. Eight-Seven was gone, and who knew what the Resistance might be doing to him at that very moment. Nines doubted there would be any kind of rescue mission; they were all just expendable Stormtroopers not privy to any kinds of important information. The First Order would view it as a waste of resources to attempt to find Eight-Seven’s whereabouts. It was unlikely that Nines would ever see FN-2187 ever again. He had to face the facts.

     But he would keep Eight-Seven’s possessions. Just in case.

******

     Nines threw his shield and blaster to the ground. He could have easily shot Eight-Seven when he had been engaged with the other Stormtrooper. But something in Nines wanted this to be more physical. He knew he had to kill FN-2187; he had betrayed the First Order and joined the Resistance, that much was obvious. Eight-Seven looked at him with recognition in his eyes and a steely determinacy that Nines knew all too well. How had things possibly come to this? He unlatched his Z6 riot control baton, and the weapon crackled to life. He paused for a moment, trying to steady his rising tide of emotions; Eight-Seven settled into a defensive stance. If Nines thought about what could have been, the things he never got to say to him, then he would surely lose. He must choose anger and focus only on that. Only on the hate for those who opposed the First Order.

     With a rage like he had never experienced before, Nines rushed Eight-Seven. His baton connected with Eight-Seven’s weapon but it was clear he did not have much experience with it. He was clumsy and Nines was easily able to overpower his parries, the force of his own strength pushing FN-2187 back. He allowed his momentum to carry him forward, using driving overhead cuts before slashing at Eight-Seven’s face, just barely missing. His old comrade gave a weak thrust with his saber that Nines was easily able to counteract, nearly disarming his opponent. As Eight-Seven again stumbled back, Nines pursued, taking his time to relish the fury flowing in his veins.

     Eight-Seven let out a yell before charging Nines. His baton blocked the saber’s blows easily and soon the two blades were locked. Nines drove his elbow into Eight-Seven’s face hard enough to dislodge him, sending him reeling. While he was still recovering, Nines took the opportunity to make a direct hit with his baton. The Z6 struck Eight-Seven directly in the chest, and the powerful electricity within the blade sent him flying back a good twelve feet. The Z6 baton always had been Nines’ favorite weapon.

     As he advanced on FN-2187, he saw the fear in his former friends’ eyes and Nines almost hesitated. But his loyalties were with the First Order as they should be. He lifted his baton, ready to deliver the killing blow, when an all-encompassing pain engulfed him and he was sent flying into the air. As he crashed into the ground, not entirely certain what had happened but smart enough to know that he had been hit with a very powerful weapon, only a single thought crossed his darkening mind. _He had never gotten to tell Eight-Seven that he loved him._ And with that final realization the Stormtrooper that had been FN-2199 ceased to be.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for my final paper for one of the classes I took this semester about transmedia narratives. Without it, I don't think I would have ever written this story. I would love to hear any thoughts on how I did and if you enjoyed it!


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